Are patients attracted to family physicians by the AAFP's "Competitive Edge" marketing materials?

A prospective study was conducted at a large military family practice clinic to assess the effectiveness of the AAFP's "Competitive Edge" marketing package. Four hundred and sixty-six Army families were randomly assigned to three study groups when they first arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia. One of these groups received two marketing brochures from the "Competitive Edge." The three groups were then followed for two years. There was no significant difference in the rate of enrollment for care in the Family Practice Clinic among the three groups (power = .95). Demographic data suggested that older soldiers who had higher military rank, smaller families, and those who had received care from a family physician in the past were more likely to enroll in family practice. The study demonstrated that the attitudes and knowledge of enrollees and non-enrollees toward the clinical skills of a family physician were similar. A study like this is relatively easy to perform and can be very useful market research for an individual practice.